Looking For Brother John
by Basmathgirl
Summary: This story runs parallel or as a spin-off from my Time Family Tales. It shows why the Doctor and Donna decided to go in search of their brother: John Marvin Noble. There are a few bits of angst in here, but it's mainly humorous I assure you!
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:** Contains angst, and makes references to The Runaway Bride and Journeys End.

**Summary:** Set in a (normally) fluffy AU where the Doctor and Donna have two young sons, Donna is on a home visit and discusses babies.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters in these stories except the two people I've given them to love.

**A/N:** This started out as a playful look at babies and turned into angst, so I apologise for that.

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Yes I Remember It Well**

.

Sylvia loved it when Donna came to visit with the boys. They were so clever, so loving, and so entertaining. They came out with amusing questions, and it fascinated her how Donna managed to come up with an answer everytime.

Jamie had spotted a photo of Donna on the side-table, and Sylvia could almost see the questions instantly buzzing in his small head. "Mummy, what was I like as a baby?" he pondered as he picked up the photo frame.

"Small, squishy and a bit pink around the edges," Donna replied, peering at the photo too.

"No Mummy! I mean, what was I _like?_! Was I happy, squeally, smelly… you know?" he pouted.

Donna considered his question, "Hmm, well you were gorgeous and only smelly on the odd occasion, like the time Daddy forgot to change you because he was too busy tweaking something underneath the console. Believe me, you were _not_ a happy bunny when I found you that day!"

"Daddy forgot me!" fury blazed across his tiny face. "He actually forgot me!"

"Don't worry," Donna caressed his face with the back of her fingers. "He didn't mean to! He just got distracted for a little while. Still does, doesn't he?"

"Yes, lots of times," he replied. He leant into Donna and whispered, "When he was late for dinner yesterday I nicked some of his chips!"

"No! You didn't?" Donna gasped in mock horror. "You'll be telling me you took some of his ice cream next!"

Jamie giggled, "I did! But he nicked some of mine first!"

"That makes it alright then!" Donna agreed. "Can't have people going around nicking ice cream off you, can we? There's bound to be a law about that somewhere."

"Would it be part of the Shadow Proclamation?" he asked.

Donna shook her head and smiled, "I have no idea, none at all! You'll have to ask Daddy that, since he quotes the Shadow Proclamation at every opportunity. Freaky people though who run it."

"You've met the Shadow Proclamation council?" his interest piqued now, he replaced the photo carefully and climbed into Donna's lap. "What are they like, Mummy?"

"Do you remember the weird Queen in 'Alice In Wonderland'?" Jamie nodded at her question. "They look like her, but with white hair and darker clothes."

His face scrunched up, "That is weird! Are they all that unfriendly?"

"No, not all of them; I was offered a drink by one of them," Donna became lost in her memories. "She kept going on about strange stuff, and I heard the heartbeat first then."

"What heartbeat?" He jigged up and down as he guessed, "Was it my brother?"

"What, Teddie?" asked Sylvia, finally unable to keep out of the conversation. "How can you have heard Teddie's heartbeat that long ago? That would have been ages before he existed."

"No, not him, Mum," Donna brought her attention back to Sylvia. "He means…," she suddenly realised that she hadn't explained that part of the metacrisis properly to her mother.

"But you told me the Doctor had a daughter while you were with him!" Sylvia insisted.

"Yes, he did, Mum, she was called Jenny," Donna eyed Jamie carefully to see if he was okay with that being said out loud. "But there was also…"

Sylvia interrupted her, "You're not telling me there was another child? Are you? Did you… and him… and not tell me?" her face reddened in anger, "How could you not tell me about my own flesh and blood?"

"I… it's complicated, I didn't think… and I didn't mean to keep you in the dark, honest!" she hugged Jamie, aware that she was probably worrying him. She couldn't look her mother in the eye as she explained, "It was during the biological metacrisis we told you about… he was created from the Doctor and me and…" She wiped away a tear. "He was called John. We named him John Marvin Noble," she finished in a small voice. Jamie placed his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly.

"Marvin? Who calls their child Marvin, unless they want him to be a member of the Shadows?" Sylvia scoffed, before realising Donna was upset. "What happened to him?" she asked gently; extremely gently for her!

"Do you remember that nice girl called Rose that you use to go on and on about for a while? Well, he went off with her, so that she could look after him," Donna had buried herself in Jamie's small embrace.

"But that's disgraceful! Why did she get to have him and not you?" demanded Sylvia. "He was your child, not hers!" Sylvia moved to sit next to Donna and began to stroke her hair comfortingly, "What does the Doctor say about this?"

Donna chewed her bottom lip, "He… he thought…" She lifted her tear stained face to look at Sylvia, "He gave John to her."

"What?" Sylvia stopped stroking. "He did what? He gave away my grandson? Why the hell did he do that?" she shrieked. Sylvia jumped up and began to pace the carpet, "Just you wait until I see him again, giving me all that blarney at the time about you and how much he… He'll wish he'd never been born!"

"Mum, stop it!" Donna threw her a menacing look. "You don't understand! It wasn't like that! He would never hurt me, not deliberately, and he didn't mean to hurt me then!" She took a deep breath before continuing, "John did not look like a child, he was a man, a clone of the Doctor. I know this is hard to get your head around; I was there and I still have problems with it. The Doctor let John go because that was where he was needed, and it made sense, it really did, but… that doesn't mean I don't miss him."

"Oh, Donna, of course you do!" Sylvia rushed forward to add to Jamie's hug.

"And that's why he's my brother," Jamie stated. "Mummy said we're not to forget him, like we don't forget my sister Jenny."

Donna tearfully kissed him, "That's right, Squeaks. We make sure nobody is forgotten."

"What's going on in here?" asked the Doctor from the doorway. "We pop out for a few minutes to buy something nice for tea, and you end up sobbing for some reason!" He crossed the room quickly to kneel in front of Donna. Sylvia thought it best to sidle off, so she took Teddie out into the kitchen. "What's the matter, love?" he asked gently, taking hold of her hand since Jamie still hadn't let go of her.

"We were looking at Mummy's photo," Jamie glanced towards the photo frame beside them.

"You weren't that ugly, were you?" the Doctor softly teased. "Not enough to cry over, unless being too beautiful is a problem." He placed a kiss on her cheek, "Was your mum upsetting you again? Shall I have words?"

"She sort of upset me, but it's not her fault," Donna stammered out. "I had to explain about John, and she wasn't very pleased."

"Ah!" he said simply, and stroked her hand. "How did you get onto that?"

"Mummy was telling me about the Shadow Proclamation and the heartbeat, Daddy," Jamie offered. "Then Nanny shouted about it; she wanted to know who it was and why he isn't here. That's when Mummy cried."

"Good boy," the Doctor ruffled Jamie's hair and kissed his cheek too. "I'll take over cuddling Mummy, shall I, and you can have your chocolate biscuits Nanny bought you?"

Jamie looked hesitant. "Okay, but make sure you hug Mummy lots and lots," he gave Donna a big sloppy kiss. "Love you, Mummy!"

"Love you more, Squeaks," she kissed him back. "I'll be fine with Daddy. Go on, go treat yourself." She gave him a little encouraging push as he climbed down, before heading into the kitchen.

The Doctor sat himself with her, taking over the cuddle as promised. "Feeling any better?" he asked. He rubbed large comforting circles on her back, "You don't regret being with me, do you?"

"Oh course not!" she gulped. "Whatever made you think that? I don't regret a minute; the rest of the time, _well_…" She laughed at his expression, then kissed him tenderly; which lead to a deeper kiss and being breathless.

He kissed both her eyes and then the tip of her nose, making her grin. "Just for the record, I don't regret a minute of our time together either," he stated as he returned to kiss her mouth.

"Are you sure?" she threw him a disbelieving glare. "'Cos I'm sure there was a change of heart at some point."

"Yes there was," he agreed. "A change that made you more important to me than _anybody_ else, in all the universes."

"Flatterer!" she mocked. "You'll be telling me next it was love at first sight!"

"Well, you were certainly stunning," he pressed a kiss below her ear, "and beautiful," then against her jaw, "and deliciously ginger," before reaching her neck. "How could I not fall in love?"

"Fear of being slapped again, perhaps?" she mused. "I wasn't that nice to you."

"That works both ways, remember. But I think we both fell for each other pretty quickly," he was working his way back to her mouth now.

"Speak for yourself, Sunshine!" she scoffed. "What? It was my wedding day! I'm not going to own up to… okay, I will, since you're looking at me like that! I did start to… Oi! Stop smirking!"

"I can't help it! I love it when I'm right!" he stole a kiss. "And you did look scrumptious in your wedding dress."

"Delicious and scrumptious… am I nothing but food to you?" she asked.

"Oh no!" he waggled his eyebrows at her. "You're far more than that! But I do want to eat you!"

"Down tiger, we're at my mother's!" she laughed, "save some for later."

"Coming back to your mother; what was the real reason for the tears?" he asked softly.

"I miss him," she regarded him wistfully, "I shouldn't, but I do."

"I'm sure he misses us too. We'll find him one day," he promised.

"Thank you," she whispered into his neck as they embraced again. She knew he missed John as much she did, and that helped, sharing the pain of losing a part of yourself. "Now what did you say you got for tea?" she pulled away and attempted to get back to normal again.

"Ah, well, I think you'll be pleased," he announced, standing up and taking her with him. "We found this wonderful little deli that sold all sorts of goodies…," his voice trailed after them as they headed back towards their family.

Sylvia smiled as they entered the kitchen. She was relieved to see Donna smiling again, and she regretted her earlier outburst that caused so much pain. She could see Donna loved her boys, all her boys, but then Donna had always had so much love in her heart to give. Sylvia made a mental note to talk to her father later about having a special tree planted at some point to commemorate her missing grandson. A tree in remembrance of John.

* * *

If you want to read about John missing Donna and the Doctor, you can read it in the next chapter...


	2. Chapter 2

**Spoilers:** Slight spoiler if you haven't watched the deleted scenes of the end of S4

**Summary:** Set after JE in Pete's World. John finds it hard to cope sometimes.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who, Pete's World, or these characters; I do however love them lots!

**A/N:** This was originally written as a one-shot fic, but it seemed appropriate to add it in here. The next chapter after this sees John make another adjustment.

* * *

**Chapter 2 - John Marvin Noble, Esq.**

.

At times like this, he HATED Rose. He HATED Torchwood. He HATED this life. Most of all, he HATED being without the Tardis. Yeah, he definitely hated that one most out of everything.

As he tried to calm his mind, he slid down the wall onto his bed and let the Donna side of him take over. That always helped. The futility of his anger struck him. He turned his head and caught sight of his piece of coral growing nicely into a little TARDIS, and his name badge sitting on the side of the bed. "John Marvin Noble" it read. Donna had named him that. He chuckled. She'd thought it funny to add the 'Marvin' part so that he wouldn't forget he was part Martian. Trust Donna!

She'd helped him make up his family history too. Originally, he had wanted to call the Doctor and Donna his parents, but Donna wasn't having any of that! They shared life histories so that made them siblings, she had said. She'd threatened him with death by "Eastenders" ("Spooks" would be way too vicious in comparison: Ian Beale would never cook your head in batter!) unless he said she was his sister and the Doctor was his brother. He even had a photograph to show people his brother and sister.

He was glad he had the photo of the three of them. It had him in the middle. Jackie had thought to take it with her camera phone. He had had it enlarged, placed in a silver frame and put on show in pride of place in his room. Donna had pointed out that that made Sylvia his mother and Wilf his grandfather. He was perfectly happy to accept Wilf as his grandfather; but Sylvia as his mother! It didn't bare, thinking about. So Donna had suggested calling Sylvia his stepmother. Yeah, he liked that better. It suited Sylvia being a wicked stepmother! That had earned him a slap, and a hug, from Donna. She said that's what sisters do.

Yes, he was very grateful to have that photo. He could refer to it and boast about it. It was nice to tell people he had family again, that he was the 'baby' out of the three of them. He often spoke of his brother who was a doctor, the Doctor; but not many people asked his name, if they did, he said "Jamie". He spoke more about his sister, Donna, who had always looked after him so well. She'd be really annoyed with him now for sulking in here rather than going out there and saying 'sorry' to Rose.

What he liked best was being able to tell people how he would go and look at the stars with his grandfather, Wilf. He wished he could have done that in person, but that, along with many other things, was an impossible dream.

Still, when his son or daughter was eventually born, in the dim and distant future, he'd be able to tell them about his family far away. It's important to have roots and know where you came from. He had the past sorted out. All he had to do now was get a grip on the present. He wished he had his brother and sister to help with that too.

.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** Set just after JE. John isn't coping very well with life in Pete's World; but he might have found a way to.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who; I am merely a faithful viewer.

**A/N:** Sorry any TenII/Rose shippers, but I can't write that relationship; I just cannot go there.

**A/N2:** This dedicated to and inspired by louiecat68 and canterlevi

**A/N3:** The next chapter includes the Time Family...

* * *

**Chapter 3 - And Then There Was One**

.

He'd noticed the red-head as soon as he stepped out of the lift. It was her warmth that drew his attention to her, well that and the fact she was gorgeous, tall, leggy, and had a rack to die for. Not that he wanted a killer rack anymore. As she laughed with Rose at her desk, he realised that something Down South told him he _did_ want that rack; he wanted it _very_ much. Oh! That was new, and he tried to analyze it but everytime she laughed different thoughts kept flashing across his mind. It was wonderful!

"Ah, John!" Rose exclaimed as she caught sight of him, "come and meet our new PA." He did his best to seductively walk over to them; well he had to give them a show, didn't he? Rose did the introductions when he got there, "Roberta Donna Smythe, I'd like you to meet John Marvin Noble." His jaw dropped slightly at her name, and she visibly started at the mention of his middle name. Yes, he could enforce the plan.

"You're wondering about the 'Marvin' bit, aren't you?" he questioned as he looked into her blue eyes and shook her hand. "My sister named me that. I've never forgiven her! Her name's Donna too." As one eyebrow shot up on her pretty face, just as he'd expected, in disbelief, he quickly added, "No, honestly, that isn't some cheesy pick up line. She really is called Donna. I have a photo somewhere…" Yes, this really was going to plan. Not that he was consciously aware of the plan, but still, it was a plan. He pulled out his wallet and extracted a smaller version of his treasured family picture. "That's her," he said, gesturing to the woman in the photo, "and that's my brother," as he pointed to the man in the brown suit.

"Blimey! He looks the spitting image of you!" she exclaimed. He loved this plan.

"Yeah! He's older, of course, but people always thought we were twins." He could not keep the smug look off his face.

"I'll leave you two to it," Rose softly said as she patted his arm and walked away towards the coffee machine. Good old Rose, he could count on her.

"So… your sister… you don't look alike at all," Roberta said. He smiled his cheekiest grin.

"You don't think so? Because some people think we do! That mainly happened in Italy though."

"Ooh! You've been to Italy! I'd love to go there," she squealed. 'Ah yes' he thought, 'this plan was working very well!' He'd be all right as long as she didn't ask to see the photos. He could say to her that there'd been a fire when they were there and everything got burnt. It wouldn't be lying to her.

~o~

"You know, there's something slightly different about you," she said as they sat in the kitchen of her small flat later that evening. The restaurant meal hadn't been _too_ bad, about the standard of a Harvester. The service was a bit better than back home; he really must stop thinking like that! This is home now.

"Different? I should have that engraved on my tombstone!" he joked.

"No, I mean, you don't seem like other blokes," she tried to explain. 'I should hope bloody well not!' he thought. "You seem… you're going to think I'm stupid for saying this… you seem almost brand new," she tried again.

To say her thinking shocked him would be an understatement. How the heck could she know that? "I'm right though, aren't I? Have you just decided to come out then?" she fixed him with a questioning look.

"I've been out all evening, it wasn't exactly a new decision for me." 'What a weird thing to say!' he thought.

She laughed a little heartfelt laugh, he was beginning to love that laugh. Down South liked it too, he could tell.

"No, you prawn!" she laughed. 'Say it again' he thought, 'please say it again!' "I meant about admitting you're gay."

Several emotions rushed through him all at once, most of them not at all pleasant. Uppermost was disappointment, because if she thought he was gay then she'd agreed to come out with him because she thought he was safe rather than fanciable. He gulped. "I'm not gay," he said softly. Well, it wasn't the sort of thing you shouted to the world.

"You're not?" she truly didn't look as if she believed him.

"No, I assure you I'm not," he quietly replied.

"Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry… I don't know what I was thinking. You must think I'm…" she stammered.

"I don't think anything bad about you. Don't worry. It was a genuine mistake," he reassured her. "But why?"

"Why? Well, you live with Rose and you're _not_ lovers and there _is_ a slight feminine vibe about you."

"I'm used to living with Rose. We've been flatmates for years. She told you we're not lovers? Why did she do that?... Anyway, the feminine vibe thing… I suppose you could blame my sister for that." He looked at her beseechingly. He didn't want to explain more than that, not to a complete stranger, not on a first date. Did she even realise it was a first date?

"I'm sorry." She considered him. He looked so miserable suddenly that she reached out and placed a hand on his. "I heard that you recently lost her. It must be horrible."

He felt tears spring to his eyes. Damn these human emotions! He only just managed to answer, "Yeah," without breaking down.

"Why don't we go back into the lounge, eh? We'll have a sit down and a nice cosy chat. Maybe watch a DVD?" she offered. 'It was beginning to look like this wasn't such a bad date after all' he thought.

~o~

They hadn't made it to the bedroom last night. He wasn't complaining, though the Donna side of him snorted. Roberta had been very gentle with him. His own lack of personal experience had obviously shone through, because she'd mentioned it.

"You haven't done this sort of thing very often, have you?" she queried.

He blushed. "No. Not like this," he admitted.

"Where have you been? In a monastery or something?" she teased.

"Yeah! Somewhere like that," he vaguely answered.

He had to be careful here. He didn't want to become known as the office bike. Jack back in the old Torchwood, the 'real' Torchwood, might have liked that idea but here in Pete's World things were often very different.

He had lain back on the sofa and let her take the lead. She had seemed grateful for that. Doing that had made her feel safer in his company and it meant that he learnt what a woman expected from a man. Maybe he'd try this again? His Donna side approved of this.

He had been shocked when Roberta had started to undress him, his first thought being 'I wonder what she wants my clothes for?' but he had quickly realised what her true intentions were. 'But why naked?' he wondered. Humans were such animals at times. Still, Down South had been extremely happy with the situation, and would've given a round of applause if it was possible. It had felt like a round of applause plus an encore.

Roberta had laughed at him. "Anybody would think it was your first time!" she teased. When he replied with a sheepish look she couldn't help asking, "Was it your first time?"

He had blushed to the tips of his ears. That was his Doctor side coming out. "Yes," he said quietly, since he had got the impression that it was a bad thing to admit.

"Oh John! Oh no wonder!" she giggled.

He couldn't see what was funny about it, and his Donna side wasn't letting on. He'd have words with himself later.

Roberta had let him sleep with her in her bed for the night; why had she done that? There was logic in there somewhere. It had been nice though. As they sat eating breakfast together, it felt so good to be here with someone he could love, who reminded him of home.

It might not be so bad here in Pete's World after all.

.


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning:** Contains angst.

**Summary:** Set in a (normally) fluffy AU where the Doctor and Donna have two young sons, a different type of home visit is made.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters in these stories except the two people I've given them to love.

**A/N:** This was written at the request of missdoctordonna (with her many soggy tissues), and sczep84.

* * *

**Chapter 4 - On Some Far Forgotten Place**

.

John had been lying in bed with another hangover when he heard a familiar noise. It was almost too familiar and he instantly assumed it was one of those frequent vivid dreams he had.

Normally the dream would play out with him reaching for the doors, seeing his brother and sister beckoning him in smiling broadly, for the TARDIS to suddenly shut him out again, leaving him abandoned on some God-forsaken beach with no real hope of happiness. He would always wake up from these dreams soaked in sweat and feeling almost suicidal.

He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed; his single, lonely bed. There had been the hope of a blossoming friendship with Roberta for a while; but her ex-boyfriend had turned up in her life again, promising all sorts of clearly transparent lies. Well, they'd been transparent to everyone except Roberta, and the beautiful red-head had walked out of his life with barely a backward glance. That's what love does to people. He vaguely remembered it. Most of his memories were his own now; the others had faded like an old photograph, and it hurt to dwell on them. Better to move on. What was that saying again? Onwards and upwards. Yeah, crap idea that! Who really believed that sort of thing anymore?

As usual his name badge, sitting on his bedside table, mocked him when he felt down. 'John Marvin Noble' it yelled at him, reminding him of what was, what might have been and what can never happen. He rubbed his hand over his stubble, forced himself to stand up, and considered drowning his sorrows with a decent cup of freshly ground coffee.

Crossing over to the bedroom window he peered out through the net curtains and hoped against hope that the neighbours were doing something interesting that could distract him. All he saw was old Mr Lewis cleaning his car. That man's attention to detail was either commendable or totally related to OCD. Or perhaps he was bored stupid? Boredom does weird things to people. John wondered if old Mrs Lewis had ever tried draping herself over the car bonnet to get her husband's attention. Laughter began to well up in him, and yet again he was glad for the remnants of Donna that still existed in his mind.

He opened the top drawer of his chest of drawers, took out a pair of clean boxers and threw his used ones into his designated dirty laundry cupboard; his fingers brushing the piece of coral growing there. There was the usual slight spark of telepathic energy between them, but it felt different this time, he couldn't put his finger on how exactly it was different but he knew it was.

Bemused, he headed for the kitchen of his small flat and grabbed some paracetamol to ease his aching head. Actually, now he thought about it, he hadn't drunk much the night before, so why did his head hurt so much? As he lifted a glass of cold water to his lips he heard a scuffle outside his front door. Looking towards the noise he could make out a small silhouette through the frosted panels. Tentatively he checked the door-chain was in place before opening the door a crack.

He was not expecting to see a young child on the other side beaming up at him. "It's you!" the child exclaimed before running to the outside bannister and shouting down over the edge, "Daddy, it's him! I've found him! Come look!"

"What?" John managed to squeak out in his astonishment.

The young boy bound back to the door, "It really is you! And I found you! I get to sit next to you at dinner and Teddie will be _so_ miffed!" This was accompanied with a little jig.

"Who are you? And should you be knocking on strange people's doors at unearthly hours of the morning?" John asked, hiding his unclad form behind the door as best he could.

A wide grin was his answer, a grin that looked oddly familiar. "You're not strange, and this isn't earth," the boy told him. "I think you call it Pete's World."

"How did you know that?" asked a shocked John. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"No! But I think you'd better get some clothes on before Mummy gets here," the boy had a conspiratorial air about him. "She gets annoyed when we dilly dally getting dressed. Nobody likes getting Mummy annoyed, not even Daddy!" Footsteps could be heard on the stairs and the boy bounced up and down again, "Quick! Before they get here!"

"Who are your mummy and…," John started to ask as he spied a couple of heads coming up the stairs towards him; two very distinct and recognisable heads. "Donna? Doctor?" his fingers flew to undo the door-chain, not caring about or thinking about his state of undress. "Is it really you?" he whispered in disbelief as unheeded tears spilled onto his cheeks.

Donna reached him first as they sped up the stairs. "John!" she squealed, flinging herself at him and they hugged each other tightly. Old forgotten sensations assaulted him; her warmth, her smell, her touch as she caressed his neck. John held on for grim death as he felt the Doctor add to their group hug. "You're bloody freezing!" Donna told him as they laughed at each other in their glee. "Any chance of you putting on some clothes in the near future? I dunno…still feeling the need to flash me when you get the chance!" she teased him.

"Oh! Ah! Yes, I mean… clothes…very good idea," he stammered, "Come in while I sort myself out." He held the door wide open as he stepped back inside his flat. "I was just…," he gestured wildly in the direction of the bedroom that held his clothes.

The Doctor grinned, "Don't mind us! It's not as if we haven't seen it all before. Ow!" He rubbed his offended arm that had just been swatted by Donna.

"There are little people here, remember," she pointed out. "Little people who might get the wrong idea."

Teddie giggled behind her, "But he looks as gross as Dad does in his underpants!"

"Dad?" John repeated. "What is going on here exactly?"

"Go put something on, for goodness sake!" admonished Donna, giving him a gentle push. "You're blinding us with all that pale skin on show."

"We'll explain everything; but after you're dressed," put in the Doctor.

John returned a few minutes later, having made himself decent, and Donna had already got tea on the go in the kitchen. "Blimey, you don't have much food in the place, do you?" she greeted his appearance with. "No wonder you've lost weight."

"I'm alright," he softly replied, realising that he wasn't and hadn't been for as long as he could remember.

"And I'm the Queen of Sheba!" Donna retorted. She swept her gaze up and down, taking in his jeans and shirt. "It's weird to see you dressed like that, it's almost as if you're…," she hesitated.

"Normal?" he asked in a small voice.

"Oh John, I'm so sorry!" she grabbed him into a hug. "I shouldn't have let it happen."

"You were a bit pre-occupied at the time," he whispered into her hair, breathing in its fragrance. He also surreptitiously pinched himself to see if this was a realistic dream or not. He gave a happy sigh of relief.

"Things did overwhelm me a bit," she agreed. "And I thought you wanted to stay here."

"So did I," he admitted, "And then you were gone."

They pulled back and eyed each other tearfully. "We're here now," she stated simply, "If you want a ride home."

"Do you mean it?" he brightened. "Really?"

"Let's take this tea through to the lounge and we'll discuss it," Donna suggested, "Though I suspect it's a foregone conclusion."

They happily carried several cups of tea into the lounge and John was chuffed to see Donna produce a packet of his favourite biscuits out of her coat pocket. Weren't pockets wonderful?

"Where shall we start? What do you want to know first?" the Doctor asked, as they all helped themselves to chocolate-covered chocolate chip cookies.

"Erm… let me see. I need to know how you got here, how you found me and…," John paused to look at the boys, "How exactly they fit into the picture?"

The boys threw each other mischievous looks, but they'd been forewarned to let the Doctor explain things, and they sat obediently munching their biscuits. "Yeah, they must be a mystery to you!" the Doctor beamed. "John, meet my sons… this is Edward, known as Teddie, and you've met James, known as Jamie." Seeing Donna glare at him, he quickly amended, "I mean _our_ sons. Donna and I are married."

"Sons, and a wife!" John shook his head in wonder. "Who'd have thought that of you?" His hands shook as he placed his cup down on his coffee table, "A proper family."

"Not quite… there's room for one more," the Doctor looked hopefully at him. "We made the choice to look for you."

John was overwhelmed with emotion, "You risked…?"

"We have a window of about two hours to get you out of here before the gap closes again; a gap that has 16 minutes left," the Doctor stated.

"What are we doing sitting here drinking tea as if we're on the deck of the Titanic for?" John leapt up. "Let's get out of here!"

"Are you sure?" Donna had to ask. "Is there anyone or anything you want to stay for?"

"Not on your nelly! I couldn't be surer!" he exclaimed.

The boys bound forward, took each of his hands and started to drag him towards the door. "Come on, the TARDIS is down at the bottom in the stairwell," Teddie encouraged him, "And we've got something special for you!"

John let himself be guided out the door, down the stairs, to where the TARDIS majestically stood. It was as he reached the doors that he remembered. He turned to wail at the Doctor, only to find him clutching tenderly the infant piece of coral in his hands. "Looking for this, were you?" the Doctor placed the baby TARDIS into John's hands, and they shared the fledgling telepathic link with it.

"Boys and their toys!" smirked Donna as she joined them. "Good job I thought to nab some spare underwear for you."

"Thank you, Donna. Thank you both!" John grinned, and he stepped back into his home.

.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:** Contains slight angst, usage of a mild swear word and a reference to custard (see my fic Goody Bag View Cam Returns, which is Chapter 12 in A Tale of a Few View Cams).

**Summary:** Set in a fluffy AU where the Doctor and Donna have two young sons, John has returned home.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters from Doctor Who, only the two people I've given them to love.

**A/N:** This was written with hints by missdoctordonna.

**A/N2:** The whippet joke is an old Morecombe & Wise one

**A/N3:** John's return will continue in a new series of stories.

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Back Where He Belongs**

.

"Donna?" John began hesitantly, worried that his words would offend. "Why does Jamie keep referring to me as his brother?"

"Oh that! Does that worry you?" Donna tried to laugh it off, and then considered him. "We did explain how you came into being to both the boys, but Jamie in particular decided that made you his brother as well as his uncle, and since it seemed to make you more real for him I let him carry on thinking that." She tenderly caressed his hand, and then leant over to kiss his cheek, "I hope you aren't too eeked out by that… I mean… I could see his logic… and normally it was only said between the two of us."

"So what do you think I am? Your child or your brother?" his soft question tugged at her heart strings.

"I think of you more as my brother, but if I'm honest you… you… oh you're going to say I'm stupid for saying this… but I've missed you as if you were my child." She wiped away a tear, "You left a gaping hole…," she patted her chest, "right here."

"I felt that way too," he grinned through his own unshed tears. "I used to…"

"What did you do, Timeboy?" she gently asked.

"I had that photo of us Jackie took, do you remember her doing it?" at her nod he continued, "I showed it to everybody I met. It made what I'd left behind feel real too, so I understand the 'brother' bit. It's a closer tie." They gripped each other's hands tightly, remembering recent grief unknowingly shared.

"We did the right thing finding you, didn't we?" Donna breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried you'd tell us to bugger off and leave you alone in your fantastic new life."

"I'd never tell you to bugger off! Unless, of course, you catch me naked again," they giggled together.

"I can't help it if you're on a mission to flash me at every opportunity!" she sparkled at him. "Though I'll be more impressed when you get some meat back on your bones."

"Are you saying I'm skinny!" he retorted, a playful anger behind his words.

"Let's just say that you're in need of a meal or two," she gave him a little wink. "And I might be the woman for the job."

"Oh, I've missed your cooking. At least, I think I do!" he scowled for a second. "It's strange when you don't know if it's your own memory or someone else's."

"Either way it's a compliment, so I'll take it as such!" she gave his hands a squeeze. "How does slow-roasted beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, mixed veg and gravy sound?"

He licked his lips enthusiastically, "Sounds great! Will it be followed by apple crumble and custard?"

Donna burst out laughing. Seeing his puzzled expression, she told him, "Sorry, but custard has all sorts of connotations for me now!" At that point Jamie entered the kitchen, so Donna whispered to John, "I'll tell you later!"

"Mummy, did I hear you mention dinner?" Jamie asked expectantly. "'Cos I'm starving!" he sidled over to Donna and sat on her lap.

"How unusual!" Donna smiled. "I think you have hollow legs at times, Squeaks."

"Nanny says I'm a growing lad," Jamie defended himself. A thought struck him. "You haven't met Nanny yet, have you Uncle John? You'll like her! She always has treats for us, and gives us lots of cuddles; though I'm a big boy now and soon won't be getting all that stuff."

"Oh you're never too old for cuddles!" John smiled at him.

"Do you think Nanny will like Uncle John, Mummy?" Jamie stared at John intently, "Or will she have the same problem liking him like she did Daddy. 'Cos he is the spitting image of Daddy, apart from the hair being a bit more…" his little hand waved about as he fought to find the word he was looking for.

"Ginger, Squeaks; there's a hint of ginger in there," Donna prompted. She smiled broadly, "Whatever you do, don't point that out to your dad unless you want him to throw a hissy fit." All three of them giggled together.

"Or the fact I'm miles younger," added in John.

"Oh yes! Not that one either!" agreed Donna, and they laughed some more. "I'd better get this dinner sorted out if little bodies are starving," Donna pushed Jamie off her lap so that she could stand, as she kissed his head fondly.

Jamie turned his eager attention back to John, "I like you Uncle John!"

"And I like you!" John told him. "You certainly are a mixture of your mum and dad to look at, but with a touch more Doctor."

Jamie beamed at him, "Mummy says I'm lovely like her."

John roared with laughter, "I can well imagine! Do you give great cuddles too?"

"Yep! I sure do!" and Jamie dashed around the table to throw his arms around John's neck, hugging him soundly. John hugged back.

"You were right," John let the boy break the embrace he'd enjoyed so much. "I think I'm going to like being your uncle a lot!"

"What about me?" came from the doorway, where Teddie stood. "Do I get a look in?"

John beckoned him over, "Room for one more!" And he was delighted when Teddie flew into his arms to hug him too.

"I love you Uncle John!" Teddie whispered close into his ear, giving him an extra squeeze. "We didn't forget you."

John felt the tears well up again, and he blinked them back desperately. He mumbled some reply into the boy's neck that Teddie didn't catch but understood anyway.

"I think I need to make a note of this moment, don't you?" Donna appeared waving a camera about. "How about a photo of my boys?"

"Where's Daddy?" Jamie put in. "You have to include Daddy!"

"Go get him then!" Donna ordered, throwing John a wink. "As if I could exclude him as well."

Jamie dragged in a slightly reluctant Doctor a few minutes later. "You know I hate having my photo taken!" he whined.

Donna patted his cheek, "Come on, just for me? I want to commemorate this special moment. I have all my boys finally back together."

"Yes dear!" he mocked, with his usual reply.

"That's it! Good obedient husband! Now get together a bit more… that's it… Smile! Say 'smelly socks'!" Donna directed them into a posing group.

"Smelly socks!" they all chimed, and the camera flashed a couple of times.

Donna viewed the images on the LED and grinned ecstatically. "Isn't there a timer button on that thing?" asked the Doctor as he made a grab for the camera. "Can't have a family photo without you in it!" He fiddled with the settings with an expert hand, then they all re-posed themselves again just in time for the flash to go off.

"What would I do without you?" Donna kissed the Doctor's cheek.

"Buy a whippet!" he and the boys recited, causing them to snigger.

"How long 'til dinner, Mum?" Teddie asked. "I'm hungry!"

"You poor half-starved thing!" Donna hugged him. "About an hour, so go entertain yourselves somewhere."

"I know! Why don't we go to the bowling alley?" suggested the Doctor. "We can easily split into two teams."

"Yay! I bagsy Uncle John!" exclaimed Jamie as he tugged on John's hand and pulled him towards the bowling alley.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then! Are you okay on your own, love?" the Doctor looked towards Donna; but Donna merely shooed them off to go enjoy themselves and work up an appetite.

Just over an hour later the family sat down to enjoy a roast dinner feast, full of teasing chatter and bonhomie. "Who won the bowling match?" Donna asked innocently.

"Ah, well, it doesn't matter because we enjoyed ourselves," stated the Doctor.

"So I take it you lost then!" smirked Donna.

"You'd better believe it!" John chuckled. "Only by a short margin; I'm sure it was beginner's luck."

"Uncle John was brilliant at bowling!" added Teddie. "I bagsy him for our next match!"

"Watch it! Or we'll have a grown-ups against children match next time," the Doctor playfully threatened Teddie.

"You just want to win, you mean!" teased Teddie, and got a pretend clip round the ear for his cheek.

"Oi! Play nicely!" Donna glared. "Stop spoiling my dinner!"

"Sorry dear!" sing-songed the Doctor, and got his own pretend admonishment.

John happily sat back and watched his family; life didn't get better than this! And this was only his first proper day with them. He couldn't wait!

.

.


End file.
